Martinsville High School Student Chokes to Death at School (Teacher prevented 911 call)

WISH Channel 8 TV ^ | 3/10/06

[Samwise]

Several Martinsville High School students say teachers stopped their calls to 911 while a fellow student was choking, because cell phones aren't allowed on campus.

Witnesses tell police the victim was rushing to finish his lunch before leaving the cafeteria, because you can't bring food outside. That's when they say he started choking, went into cardiac arrest, and died at the hospital.

Multiple 911 calls went out from Martinsville High School.

Witnesses say Jesse Tucker choked on a hamburger. Paramedics rushed the 15 year-old freshman to the hospital, where he later died.

"It's really hard to grasp the fact that you witnessed someone's death," says one student, "It's really hard to take in."

24 Hour News 8 spoke to another student witness who also wants to remain anonymous. He says one of his friends tried to call 911 with his cell phone, but just as he reached an operator, he says a teacher closed his phone saying cell phones aren't allowed on campus.

"She just closed his phone. She didn't do much to help the situation. She was panicky, she didn't go to the nurse's office," says one of the students.

Martinsville Police Chief Frans Hollanders says the investigation is still in preliminary stages, and at this point, investigators aren't pointing fingers.

"We've heard rumors to such an effect, that a cell phone was slapped out of a kids hand," Hollanders says, "We haven't been able to determine that at all whatsoever."

School officicals wouldn't talk on camera, but we caught up with an assistant superintendent and he issued this statement, "We are still in shock. We do believe the teacher did everything she could in the situation."

The police chief is encouraging witnesses to share their stories with investigators.

24 Hour News 8 did speak to Jesse's father Friday night. Understandably, he says he's still in shock and just wants to know exactly what happened.

An autopsy is scheduled for Saturday morning.

[rfreedom4u]

Wow. You seem to be one of the few who noticed the "in their right mind" part of my post. There are several posters who immediately asume the teacher would do just that and were quick to let me know.

[Amelia]

See post 155.

[null and void]

Damm. I don't think I would have thought of that.

[caryatid]

The student apparently had swallowed approximately half of a hamburger.

Ah! Now we begin to see evidence of the breakdown of the family ... perhaps we should look at the parents ... who did not teach their child table manners, if they had any themselves, [not to gobble their food] by sitting down to a properly served and attended family meal around a table ... or moderation [by not allowing their child to become unreasonably obese ... from eating too much, too fast ... and too many hamburgers] ...

And, I am not being silly when I say this ... or exonerating the stupid teacher in any way ...

[null and void]

Thanks!

[AD from SpringBay]

I'm pretty sure no teacher in their right mind would slap a phone out of a student's hand.

That leaves a lot of teachers.

[A.J.Armitage]

I've read the discussion, and let me add one comment about the teacher and the cell phone. If it's true, even if the call didn't really matter, if the teacher didn't know whether it would matter she's just as guilty.

[Amelia]

That leaves a lot of teachers.

True...how many people in their right minds would spend their days trying to supervise, let alone teach, today's teenagers? ;-)

[ArmyTeach]

Another choice open to parents when it is available is the 'charter school.' This is a public school established with the freedom to follow an independent teaching method, specific curriculum, limited entrance policy. My 6 year old grandson's name was drawn and he is enrolled in our Montessori model K-8 charter school. His sister will therefore automatically be eligible. Small classes, excellent curriculum individualized to the student. For instance, he entered kindergarten reading whole books at the 4th grade level (has a good Mom, read to him and played alphabet and word games). Because he does not always know the meaning of a word which he can easily read, his teachers are concentrating on vocabulary development.

[Blue Jays]

Hi null and void-

Fire alarms should simply be renamed to "emergency alarms" so that people are inclined to use them in a broader range of situations. They should gradually ditch the traditional red color and make them dayglo yellow or orange.

If there is a known emergency at a school, you can rest assured that police, EMTs, and firefighters are going to respond anyway, so might as well pull the alarm and make it simultaneously easier for everyone.

~ Blue Jays ~

[S0122017]

Strange, i thought it be universal in the industrialised countries. Do you get to choose what course packages you want at highschool?
We have a system where there are 4 profiles consisting out of courses that fit the profile, with sometimes one or two free choice courses.

[S0122017]

Ah good, I always like free choice. The danger ofcourse is that students choose what they want and not what they need, that is why freedom is often limited in profiles.
But with proper supervision it can certainly bring out more of the potential of a child.

[eleni121]

The teacher sounds like a respected NEA member: Communist union scum.

Poor kid...I hope the family of the departed takes this all the way...so that teachers will get the message.

[TAdams8591]

"He says one of his friends tried to call 911 with his cell phone, but just as he reached an operator, he says a teacher closed his phone saying cell phones aren't allowed on campus."

Rules for some people are paramount. They can't seem to think for themselves anymore.

[Wolfie]

Smell test in progress.

Indeed. And no student would go on record. Anyway, easy enough to check the 911 records to see if any calls were actually placed and/or cut off in progress.

[freepatriot32]

the teacher needs to be charged criminally for this at the very least for reckless disregard for human life and possible involuntary manslaughter

Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here

[Galveston Grl]

I will point out also, that most of the serial murderers in the US are white men.

This discussion is about race baiting strategies used by the Left to make principals and teachers afraid to expel violent and criminal black students with claims that more blacks than whites were expelled from school and therefore that proved racism.

The race baiting went like this: Black Tyrone (a local gang member with a record as long as your arm) had a knife as was expelled from school but you did not expel white Johnny (who is a boy scout) with an axe in his trunk. You treat blacks with sharp objects different than whites with sharp objects...

[ontos-on]

The real culprit is this spirit of zero tolerance which makes teachers and administrators .. and teaches students .. to be rule crazy and cancel out judgment.

[ontos-on]

The real culprit is this spirit of zero tolerance which makes teachers and administrators .. and teaches students .. to be rule crazy and cancel out judgment.

[caryatid]

When I went to high school there was a basic curriculum with a choice among a few "electives". As I never sent my daughter to a public school, I cannot tell you whether or not there is any choice in courses or how children are/are not assigned to them.

Perhaps other FReepers following this thread may be able to elucidate on this ...